Carlos Sainz drove well as Williams’ sluggish start to the 2026 F1 season continued, as he started 16th and finished 15th at the Japanese GP. It was, for them, an uneventful race, but not one that translated into positions gained apart from pit stop sequences. Sainz’s high point was P12 before the safety car for Oliver Bearman’s crash, after which he pitted to his final position.
“Obviously we had a very solid race, We maximised everything. actually we improved the car compared to Friday and we were a bit closer to the midfield than what we were expecting to be and we were mixing it up with Franco [Colapinto], [Nico] Hülkenberg, and [Arvid] Lindblad. But unfortunately it was just not quite enough to get ourselves in the fight. So, pleased with the weekend.
“I think, on a personal side, my engineering group has done an excellent job with helping me manage the energy, manage the tyres well and we were always in the fight. But, unfortunately, not for more than P15.”
Looking to move up at Miami
Sainz and Williams have generally languished so far in 2026. P16 at Suzuka is his best start of the season so far, and while he did get into the points at Shanghai, he was largely the beneficiary of others’ misfortune, including teammate Alex Albon. Trying to get into the greater fight will be on everyone’s mind as Sainz and Williams try to make the most of an unexpected break in racing action before returning for the Miami Grand Prix in May.
“I’m excited to see what the team can do over the next five weeks. I think it’s going to determine our fate over the rest of the year, how aggressive and ambitious we are with these five weeks in terms of our recovery plan. Because these three races have been, I think, a bit of a nightmare for all of us.”
